Stove Owners Weigh Advantages Of Wood Work

What's the secret to using and enjoying a wood-burning stove? Family consensus and some extra time, says Glen Hetzel, Virginia Extension safety specialist.

"This method of heating works best when both husband and wife want it," he says. "If someone doesn't like it, there can be problems."

For example, if a working husband loves wood stoves but his wife, who stays home during the day, doesn't, you can bet she'll get pretty tired of lugging wood around and fueling up the stove every few hours.

Wood stoves, which offer approximately 55 percent thermal efficiency, take a lot of time and energy to properly use and take care of, Hetzel says. Not only do the owners have to either chop or buy a large supply of wood, but they need to take precautions against eroding equipment and creosote build-up in the chimney.

Such time-consuming care has discouraged many from using the wood stoves they've purchased, he says.

They can also get tired of having to clean up dirt and soot on the inside of their houses, he says.

But there are those who still use the stove, either intermittently or full time, who are quite happy with them. For those folks, the added effort for upkeep pays them back in savings on their fuel bills.

Other owners get their satisfaction from feeling self-sufficient or from knowing they are using a renewable resource. In contrast to oil or gas, trees can always be planted.

Wood stove care involves several things, Hetzel says.

The first is preventing creosote, a potentially explosive substance, from accumulating on the inside of the chimney.

"There are substances in wood that are volatile and that ideally are converted into gas," Hetzel says. "But anytime you reduce air flow into a fire, some of those substances remain solids or semi-solids and they can accumulate in the chimney."

The most common cause of reduced air flow resulting in creosote buildup is all night fires.

A stove owner often will load up the stove with wood and close the damper to get the stove to burn all night without adding any more wood. Because there is little air going into the stove, the wood burns at a lower rate.

An owner who chooses to do this should get rid of the creosote by running the stove at a high temperature each day, Hetzel says.

Even when an owner follows this practice, he should have the chimney professionally cleaned once a year, Hetzel says. Also, a person who is not in the habit of burning off creosote once a day should not try it all of a sudden. He may ignite the creosote buildup he's been accumulating.

"Do it after your chimney's been cleaned," Hetzel says.

Creosote build-up can also be somewhat prevented by burning a mix of green and seasoned wood, Hetzel says. Studies show that burning some green wood produces less creosote than burning all dry wood.

A second care practice for owners is properly disposing of ashes.

Take out ashes in a metal container and dispose of them outside, away from the home, Hetzel says.

Third, owners should inspect their equipment every year.

"One cause of home fires from wood stoves is lack of support from stove to chimney," Hetzel says. "Owners should take the pipe apart, clean it and inspect it thoroughly."

Hetzel says he knows some owners who simply replace their stove pipes every year.

And finally, there are some common sense practices that will made a wood stove-heated home a safer place. Keep flammable items, such as clothes, carpet or paneling, away from the stove.

And if your family plans to go away for a few days, plan ahead and let the stove burn out by itself.